Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has provided an explanation for his team’s struggles and eventual 1-0 loss to Stellenbosch FC in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final on Wednesday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
The Brazilians now face an enormous task in trying to turn things around in the rematch on Sunday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium after Stellenbosch stole an away goal.
Coach Mngqithi and his assistant Steve Komphela will be put to the test greatly as the Brazilians are now playing from behind.
However, Sundowns will be encouraged by the fact that the match will be played in Durban and that they will not have to put up with Stellies’ passionate fans.
The Danie Craven Stadium, Stellies’ home field, is presently unavailable due to renovations.
Absence of Mokwena is evident
Sundowns were stifled in midfield and prevented from playing their typical fluid style of football against Stellies.
It is true that the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) reigning champions are having trouble redefining themselves after Rulani Mokwena unexpectedly left at the end of the previous campaign.
In the quarterfinal match, Sundowns also had trouble against Polokwane City, whom they were fortunate to eliminate after a gruelling 120 minutes that included extra time.
As their patience wanes, the supporters are questioning whether it was the right move to fire Mokwena and whether Mngqithi is the most qualified coach for the challenging position.
After Grant Kekana’s awkward tackle inside the box, the referee signalled the spot, and the Capetonians took the lead at the hour mark.
Nearing their second final appearance in the PSL, Fawaaz Basadien sealed the victory by converting the penalty kick.
We committed silly errors
“I think we started a bit slow and Stellenbosch’s press was very aggressive, especially in the early stages,” Mngqithi told the club’s website after the match.
“I think our full-backs were not that much involved in the build-ups because they were too high sometimes.
“I think in the second half we tremendously improved that. We started coming out a lot from our build-ups, and the speed of play was much better because I think that was my other big concern at halftime.”
He continued: “We created opportunities that could have easily given us the game, but unfortunately, we committed very silly errors because.
“If you look where the penalty comes from, we had a free kick, and I think we were five around the ball.
“We tried what I think was a very unproductive combination play because there was no clarity on what we were trying to do.
“The fact that the Stellenbosch goalkeeper was the man of the match proves that we did our part.”
